What are the secrets that a family keeps from others—and do family members keep one another in the dark sometimes?
The Necessary Stage’s Theatre for Seniors presents Family Secrets, a double bill of well-loved plays by Cultural Medallion winner Haresh Sharma, about two families encountering change through illness afflicting their senior members, and how they rise above the challenge to grow stronger and closer than ever.
Written by
Haresh Sharma
Directed by
Peter Sau
Set Design by
Vincent Lim
Lighting Design by
Dorothy Png
Sound Design by Bani Haykal
Don’t Forget to Remember Me
When Madam Wong begins her retirement, all she can think of is enjoying her golden years with rest and serenity, surrounded by family and friends. However, rest turns into restlessness as she starts to lose her short-term memory. Her dream of a peaceful life soon becomes a nightmare of remembering and forgetting.
First commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Disease Association, Don’t Forget to Remember Me is a touching and thought-provoking play that deals with the trials and tribulations of people with dementia and their struggles to come to terms with their illness.
In Singapore, about five percent of people above 65 have dementia. It is an illness that causes brain cells to die at a faster rate than normal. This leads to failing memory, deterioration of intellectual function and personality changes. Dementia is not normal ageing.
Cast:
Al-Matim Yatim
Catherine Sng
Doreen Toh
Padma Krishnan
Don’t Know, Don’t Care
Originally commissioned by HCA Hospice Care, Don't Know, Don't Care looks at a family trying to deal with terminal illness within the household. Wrapped up in their own lives, the family members “don't want to know”. They prefer to leave the care-giving to strangers. Soon, they realise they have to know, and they learn how to care. They discover the importance of being there for each other. In a time of illness, they can finally share a bond and experience joy.
Cast:
Judy Ngo
Matthias Teh
Michael Tan
